SetWindowsHookEx?

[Vlatko]

Try this, but i think that without a standard dll it is not possible.

'In a module
Public Const WH_KEYBOARD = 2
Public Const VK_SHIFT = &H10
Declare Function CallNextHookEx Lib "user32" (ByVal hHook As Long, ByVal ncode As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, lParam As Any) As Long
Declare Function GetKeyState Lib "user32" (ByVal nVirtKey As Long) As Integer
Declare Function SetWindowsHookEx Lib "user32" Alias "SetWindowsHookExA" (ByVal idHook As Long, ByVal lpfn As Long, ByVal hmod As Long, ByVal dwThreadId As Long) As Long
Declare Function UnhookWindowsHookEx Lib "user32" (ByVal hHook As Long) As Long
Public hHook As Long
Public Function KeyboardProc(ByVal idHook As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, ByVal lParam As Long) As Long
    'if idHook is less than zero, no further processing is required
    If idHook < 0 Then
        'call the next hook
        KeyboardProc = CallNextHookEx(hHook, idHook, wParam, ByVal lParam)
    Else
        'check if SHIFT-S is pressed
        If (GetKeyState(VK_SHIFT) And &HF0000000) And wParam = Asc("S") Then
            'show the result
            Form1.Print "Shift-S pressed ..."
        End If
        'call the next hook
        KeyboardProc = CallNextHookEx(hHook, idHook, wParam, ByVal lParam)
    End If
End Function

'In a form, called Form1
Private Sub Form_Load()
    'KPD-Team 2000
    'URL: http://www.allapi.net/
    'E-Mail: [email protected]
    'set a keyboard hook
    hHook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD, AddressOf KeyboardProc, App.hInstance, App.ThreadID)
End Sub
Private Sub Form_Unload(Cancel As Integer)
    'remove the windows-hook
    UnhookWindowsHookEx hHook
End Sub

[Vlatko]

If you need info on the parameters

· idHook
Specifies the type of hook procedure to be installed. This parameter can be one of the following values:
WH_CALLWNDPROC
 Installs a hook procedure that monitors messages before the system sends them to the destination window procedure. For more information, see the CallWndProc hook procedure.
WH_CALLWNDPROCRET
 Installs a hook procedure that monitors messages after they have been processed by the destination window procedure. For more information, see the CallWndRetProc hook procedure.
WH_CBT
 Installs a hook procedure that receives notifications useful to a computer-based training (CBT) application. For more information, see the CBTProc hook procedure.
WH_DEBUG
 Installs a hook procedure useful for debugging other hook procedures. For more information, see the DebugProc hook procedure.
WH_GETMESSAGE
 Installs a hook procedure that monitors messages posted to a message queue. For more information, see the GetMsgProc hook procedure.
WH_JOURNALPLAYBACK
 Installs a hook procedure that posts messages previously recorded by a WH_JOURNALRECORD hook procedure. For more information, see the JournalPlaybackProc hook procedure.
WH_JOURNALRECORD
 Installs a hook procedure that records input messages posted to the system message queue. This hook is useful for recording macros. For more information, see the JournalRecordProc hook procedure.
WH_KEYBOARD
 Installs a hook procedure that monitors keystroke messages. For more information, see the KeyboardProc hook procedure.
WH_MOUSE
 Installs a hook procedure that monitors mouse messages. For more information, see the MouseProc hook procedure.
WH_MSGFILTER
 Installs a hook procedure that monitors messages generated as a result of an input event in a dialog box, message box, menu, or scroll bar. For more information, see the MessageProc hook procedure.
WH_SHELL
 Installs a hook procedure that receives notifications useful to shell applications. For more information, see the ShellProc hook procedure.
WH_SYSMSGFILTER
 Installs a hook procedure that monitors messages generated as a result of an input event in a dialog box, message box, menu, or scroll bar. The hook procedure monitors these messages for all applications in the system. For more information, see the SysMsgProc hook procedure.

· lpfn
Points to the hook procedure. If the dwThreadId parameter is zero or specifies the identifier of a thread created by a different process, the lpfn parameter must point to a hook procedure in a dynamic-link library (DLL). Otherwise, lpfn can point to a hook procedure in the code associated with the current process.

· hMod
Identifies the DLL containing the hook procedure pointed to by the lpfn parameter. The hMod parameter must be set to NULL if the dwThreadId parameter specifies a thread created by the current process and if the hook procedure is within the code associated with the current process.

· dwThreadId
Specifies the identifier of the thread with which the hook procedure is to be associated. If this parameter is zero, the hook procedure is associated with all existing threads.

[Megatron]

Originally posted by Vlatko
Try this, but i think that without a standard dll it is not possible

Yeah. That's the downside of VB

[Vlatko]

When the IDE runs the hook works, but when compiled into an EXE..

[GuitarMan]

Why not use inside a timer;

Public Declare Function GetAsyncKeyState Lib "user32" Alias "GetAsyncKeyState" (ByVal vKey As Long) As Integer

if all u want to do is capture all keyboard events??

[vbasic]

Thats similar to the coding I had but... only works when the VB program is in focus.

[Megatron]

No, it will run regardless of which application has the focus. The downside of this is that it's not accurate, and that it uses a lot of resources by looping roughly 200 times per key press, and writing it to a file.